I know. DR. SEUSS VIBES. I actually wasn’t going for that, but these little cupcake toppers turned out to be undeniably Seuss-like. Right? Like little tufted Truffula trees? Mile after mile in the fresh morning breeze?
You know.
Anyway, I feel like these would be perfect for Tu B’Shvat in just a few days. They’re easy (really, really easy), they’re fun for kids and grown-ups alike, and they’re just plain adorable. And to the baking averse out there: There’s no need to make the cupcakes that serve as the base here—I didn’t! (You know they’ve got that tell-tale Magnolia frosting swoop.)
If you’ve got pretzel sticks in your pantry, some white chocolate chips, a roll of parchment paper, and a food coloring set, you’ve got this. You can also use candy melts; personally, I kinda prefer being able to control the color myself, but it’s your call.
Tutorial follows!
Pretzel Tree Cupcake Toppers
Makes around 24-30 toppers
What You’ll Need:
- 24 frosted cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 5-10 drops green food coloring
- Piping bag or Ziploc bag
- 2 cups pretzel sticks
- Parchment paper
What You’ll Do:
- Pour chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in intervals of 30 seconds, stopping the microwave process and stirring with a spoon to ensure that you don’t “burn” the chips (yes, it’s possible!) or heat them unevenly. (If you’re using green candy melts, go ahead and melt them according to package instructions.)
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a very small hole cut out of one corner. (I highly recommend taking a look at the instructions here on how to fill a piping bag without making a mess by propping it open inside a drinking glass.)
- Place pretzel sticks about 2-3 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches of space above each of them as well. Pipe the colored chocolate over the top of each of the pretzel sticks in the shape pictured here (a looping palm tree or flower), then pipe a little extra chocolate onto the area where the pretzel and chocolate meet to help fuse them together once dry. Don’t worry if you don’t love how the first few turn out; you’ve got enough chocolate and pretzels to make extras.
- Place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or until the chocolate has completely hardened. Then, using a small offset spatula or table knife, carefully and gently pop the trees off of the baking sheet. (Some might break; that’s okay! Again, you’ll end up with more than enough toppers to go around).
- Slowly and delicately push the bottoms of the pretzel trees through the frosting and into each cupcake. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.